How We Score:

Global Score

The Engadget Global Score is a unique ranking of products based on extensive independent research and analysis by our expert editorial and research teams. The Global Score is arrived at only after curating hundreds, sometimes thousands of weighted data points (such as critic and user reviews).

Where very good meets very cheap

There's no two ways about it -- the Moto E is exciting, if not in the way most mobile buffs would like. You really shouldn't underestimate the sort of world-shaking power that can come from making something that's both very good and very cheap. So what if the spec sheet is a bit passé? For all its minor shortcomings, the Moto E still represents a level of power and quality that's become even more accessible to people the world over, and that's something worth celebrating. If all you need is a smartphone that can take you to Facebook, capture fodder for Instagram or fire off missives on Twitter (or WhatsApp or Weibo), the Moto E will make a worthy sidekick. Not every important device has to be a flashy flagship.

If Motorola ever manages to offer the $129 Moto E for under $100 (and I bet it will eventually), we could be looking at a game changer; a device that could really help bring the next billion people into an age of connectedness most of us already take for granted. Until then, the E's value is obscured a touch -- the superior balance of performance and price means the Moto G will be worth the extra $50 for most people.

The Moto E has its shortcomings, but they're largely offset by the device's affordable price tag. While the more powerful Moto G is likely the better bet for most smartphone shoppers, those looking to ditch their feature phones without breaking the bank will find plenty to like here.

The Motorola Moto E is unquestionably cheap and has a set of specs that makes it more than capable of handling your basic everyday tasks. Its price, however, isn't much lower than the Moto G, which has a better camera, more powerful processor, improved screen and longer battery life.

Motorola has done an very good job of balancing price and quality with the Moto E. As a first-time buyer’s smartphone or for emerging markets like India it is both affordable and a great experience, easily being the best smartphone available for less than £90 list price.

Motorola set a new benchmark for the budget smartphone with the Moto G but has gone even lower on price with the Moto E. Although we're impressed with the Moto E which will make a great first or spare smartphone, it's worth paying the extra for the Moto G.

Not only does it suffice for being a daily driver to almost anyone, but it’s also a fantastic backup smartphone too! Quite simply, it shows that a lot of love can still be experienced in something so cost-conscious – and without coming off a cheap or tacky!

It's not the best performer out there, but it packs a serious punch for the least amount of money. We especially appreciated the unspoiled Android OS and the solid promise for timely updates. The camera is certainly a letdown, but not everybody needs a good camera.

If you’re an Android enthusiast on a tight budget looking to avoid carrier contracts, the Moto E will appeal to you. The hardware may be dated, but $129 is an unprecedented price for contract-free smartphones.

The Moto G represents better value than the Moto E. However, the extra $50 is almost half of the Moto E’s asking price, which could mean a lot to first-time smartphone buyers. While the Moto G will probably age with more grace, the Moto E is still a good entry-level smartphone.

The Moto E was designed to be beginner’s smartphone and for that, it does its job brilliantly. If you want a better camera or faster CPU, then you have the Moto G for that. Motorola has cleverly chalked out the specifications for the Moto E so it doesn’t eat into the sales of the Moto G.

In terms of getting what you pay for, the Moto E is a very good value. Just remember to factor in the cost of the MicroSD card … and remember, when it gives you trouble, how much you didn’t spend on it.

First Looks

Concessions then have been made even over the basic Moto G, but for $150 the Moto E is a remarkable proposition. With level-headed expectations, this could comfortable be an excellent back-up device for those that don't fancy taking their $600+ phones out on a wild night.

The body of the phone is also similar to the Moto G and X. The back is all smooth plastic with an indentation for the Motorola logo and a cutout for the (apparently flashless) camera lens. The phone's speaker appears to be mounted on the front of the device.

The only obvious things Motorola has done to save money are to skip a front camera and LTE. Owners will also have to make do with a 5-megapixel camera and 4GB of integrated storage. The company makes up for the latter with a microSD card slot.

In the short time we spent with the device, we'd say the difference between the Moto E and the Moto G day-to-day performance is enough to warrant spending the extra money on the Moto G if you have it and performance is something you care about.

We see a lot of cheap phones at PCMag, and like with the Moto G , Motorola managed to make the E not feel cheap. It's a bit heavy, and it feels sturdy - the screen is real Gorilla Glass 3, the phone doesn't flex, and it survived some modest drops.

The overall performance is likely helped by Google’s recent re-write of Android 4.4, which allows it to run better on devices with lesser hardware. And Motorola is guaranteeing that the Moto E will get the next major Android upgrade.

In a sea of black devices, the Moto E is available in nine colours -- thanks to interchangeable panels -- and will be available SIM-free for a price that has us asking how low Motorola can continue to go. In our brief hands-on time with the phone we were impressed.

The specs of the Moto E are on the low end of phones today, but that bar keeps rising, so there isn't much to complain about even if you're used to a smartphone experience already. The Snapdragon 200 processor provides enough power to run most apps on the 4.3-inch 960 x 540 display just fine.

A few minutes of hands-on time isn’t enough to fully evaluate a phone but I did get a pretty good sense of its look, feel and build. It feels a bit heavy in the hand, but it’s solid and slip resistant.

All considered, we'd struggle to find any sub-£100 smartphone we'd recommend as much as the Moto E, even after spending a relatively short time with the handset. We're eager give it some heavier use, and see just how far that £89 (or $129) goes.

While it's still early days yet, the Moto E looks like it could be just as impressive as its slightly more expensive Moto G brother. While we think it could do with being even cheaper, there is no denying that very few phones come even close to this level of performance at this price.

It’s no specs demon, nor does it tantalize the eyes with its design, but without question, the Moto E has our complete attention with its hard-to-beat price of $129.99 – and that’s for the unlocked model that’s going on sale right now in the US!

If you're worried that the dual-core Snapdragon 200 won't offer solid performance, guess again. In the few moments we've spent with the phone, it showed no difficulty in running apps, transitioning screens, and so on.

The Moto E's construction doesn't feel downmarket at all, and it maintains the same curved shape as the other Moto phones. Its back covers are interchangeable and it has a microSD card slot, adding an extra bit of versatility and a potential upgrade path.

Under the hood, there’s a 1.2GHz dual-core Cortex A7 CPU bundled with 1GB of RAM sitting on a Snapdragon 200 system-on-a-chip. We were pleasantly surprised with its performance while running Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Everything was decently quick with no notable stutters or lag.

The loss of a front-facing camera is a decision that could come back to kick Motorola but it's certainly not the end of the world, for now though we'll say that from spending a short amount of time with the Moto E it certainly feels like a mid-range smartphone.

With a Sunspider Javascript score of 1,658ms, it's roughly 200ms slower than the Moto G, and Chrome struggled to load image-ladden pages such as The Guardian's home desktop page. Panning around the page and zooming in and out required a bit of patience as well.

I wasn’t blown away by the Moto E. Nor do I think it’s going to redefine the low-end market like the Moto G did for the mid-range segment. Nevertheless, it’s a competent device that will only strengthen Motorola’s refreshed smartphone portfolio.

Like always, Motorola has kept the UI clean and as close to pure Android as possible. The advantage is that even with a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 200 dual-core processor, the Moto E is snappy. Screen transitions are fluid and there is no bloatware or unnecessary animations anywhere.

While it has its downsides, it's hard not to warm to the the Motorola Moto E. Undoubtedly, the smartphone is one of the best at its price point, and is likely to win over buyers looking for an affordable, no-frills handset.

The 5MP camera, which I had a short time to test, was surprisingly good, focusing quickly and capturing relatively sharp photos. It’s unclear whether this is the same sensor as the one in the Moto G, but at first glance it appears so.

The Moto E looks strikingly similar to the Moto G at first glance, the back panel in particular. The Moto E's rear is curved and is made of a soft-touch polycarbonate, and which is comfortable to hold.

For a phone that's not trying to be more than it's supposed to, the Moto E seems like it could be a good transitional device for people looking to do more with their phone without having to pay so much more. There are some obvious sacrifices to be made, but this looks to be the ideal starter-phone.

I paid 99.00 for this phone at Walmart. I love it. Especially being able to set the nighttime use and only allowing certain people to get through. The graphics are also great. When I was able to transfer call logs, past texts etc from my other phone..I was won over. The only complaint I have is...

I bought this phone last week from the Motorola website. it arrived a few days ago and wasn't disappointed. It was a great hone if you considered the price, but today when I got a call from someone and the ear piece wouldn't work. the speaker did though. Other than this manufacturer defect the...